[jnv] Resist Bush! Mass NV Civil Disobedience 19-21 Nov.

[Milan Rai]

Resist Bush! 19-21 Nov. Mass Nonviolent Civil Disobedience
Buckingham Palace 19 Nov.

Hi everyone

Please forward this email as you think appropriate.

At a London anti-war meeting last Thursday, it was decided to initiate 
proposals for open nonviolent mass actions to greet President Bush during 
his visit.

(This was a meeting of London GROW or Grassroots Opposition to War, a 
grassroots anti-war network which just organised the Grassroots Activist 
Conference in London 26-28 Sept.)

After a discussion at Saturday's London Social Forum, several activists 
(from JNV and other groups) decided to (a) call some meetings and (b) make 
a proposal for a framework.

Name for this initiative is currently, 'Resist Bush'. Email list is 
<resistbush@yahoogroups.co.uk>.

1) OPEN PLANNING MEETING: RESIST BUSH
7pm, Thursday 16 October, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London (near 
Holborn tube). Most likely the first of several meetings.

2) PROPOSAL: Buckingham Palace, Day 1, 19 November

We are suggesting that there be a day of action centred on Buckingham 
Palace on the first day of Bush's visit. We are suggesting

(a) an open, mass action with announced gathering point(s) (despite all the 
downsides of this, we think there are people who are just starting out on 
nonviolent civil disobedience who would appreciate this kind of 
opportunity)

and, in parallel, (b) a call for autonomous affinity groups to carry out 
nonviolent actions around, at and maybe inside Buckingham Palace during the 
day.

3) NONVIOLENCE / OPENNESS
We would stress that this is a call for NONVIOLENT action. A proposed 
definition of 'nonviolence' is 'action which does not harm or degrade any 
human being'.

There are two other days to think of other parts of London, other focuses 
and (maybe) other styles of action. If you have suggestions for these other 
days, please come on the 16th for us to sort out coordination/keeping 
things distinct.

We should also stress that this is an open planning process. We realise 
that a lot of covert (probably small-group) actions will take place 
independently of this process. We propose that these meetings are only for 
discussing open actions, and for sorting out the coordination/distinction 
stuff.

4) SUPPORT REQUESTED!
So this proposal is supported right now by Justice Not Vengeance (JNV) and 
by the Pledge of Resistance. If your group would like to support it, please 
subscribe to our email list

resistbush@yahoogroups.co.uk

We hope to have a website up soon, if you can help with this, please let us 
know via the e-list!

5) PREPARATION / TRAINING
We are aiming to circulate the details of people willing to 
preparation/nonviolence training/legal briefing for affinity groups coming 
to Buckingham Palace. It's safer and more fun if you come in an affinity 
group: please think about setting one up if you haven't already got one 
going, and having a preparation session.

Many thanks
Milan Rai and Jonathan Stevenson (JNV)
Gabriel Carlyle and Sian Glaessner (Voices in the Wilderness UK)
and others